Female Doll

This doll represents a wealthy Potawatomi woman who is probably a priestess of the Midewiwin Society. Her wealth is displayed in necklaces with jet beads and ornaments of German silver, miniature replicas of women’s jewelry which were probably made especially for the doll. Her sacred powers are seen in the “bear-claw” pendant and the beaded bag was the kind used for medicines. She also carries a leather paint bag probably containing vermillion, a pigment used in curing. The stick in her belt is possibly a prescription stick that would be marked with formulae for administering herbal medicines.

She is wearing a Potawatomi style skirt and shirt also. She is 24 cm high and very fragile. She was acquired through an exchange in 1968, but is likely to be older.